The Pretender
by Touchstone's Ranna
Summary: Harry's life just got a lot more confusing.ABANDONED
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This fic was written in response to TGP's _The Pretender's Challenge_. First challange, so I don't know whether this will turn out well or not. Rated M, just to be safe.

* * *

Harry Potter sat in the common room alone. He was tapping a quill against a piece of parchment, trying to figure out what on earth he wanted to write. He had been working on this letter for almost a week, and so far, the only thing that he had gotten was "Dear Ginevra".

He let out a sigh as he pushed himself back in the chair, teetering on the hind legs. The green-eyed boy was suddenly hit with inspiration, and he leaned forward.

But before he could dip the quill into the ink once again, he noticed an ominous glowing coming from outside the window. It was heading for him, faster and faster.

"Shit." Was all Harry could say before he was hit with the light with full force.

((The Pretender))

As Harry's eyes fluttered open, he let out a groan. Pain coursed through his body and he could hardly remember how to move.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" a voice finally reached Harry's ears. He opened his eyes fully this time and saw almost the whole of Gryffindor House gazing back at him, looks of interest, terror, and, oddly enough, lust, on their faces.

Minerva McGonagall then made her way to Harry, stooping down and looking over him.

"Professor, what happened?" Harry asked groggily.

The Transfigurations Professor looked startled for a moment. "You know who I am?"

"Of course I do. You're my head of House…" Harry said, his eyebrows furrowing. He continued to look around and he was getting a really bad feeling about the whole situation. Especially when he noticed that it was the _male_ population of Gryffindor that was giving him the looks of lust.

"Professor… _What happened_?" Harry asked desperately.

He then noticed the change in his voice.

It was no longer the baritone that had finally come with puberty. No. Now it sounded more like a second soprano. A _girl's_ voice.

Harry's eyes went wide and he shot up from where he lay on the floor, all pain forgotten.

"Someone get me a mirror!" he barked.

A little first year girl hurriedly took a compact out of her bag and handed it to Harry. He opened it hurriedly and looked at his face.

It was still round, but it seemed somewhat thinner than before. His jaw was smaller, his features softer. His eyes were the same color, but they resembled his mother's even more in shape now. His hair was longer, almost down to his waist, pooling around him. Harry then poised the mirror so that it was looking at his chest. He had had his shirt open halfway before he had passed out, due to the hot weather. It would be easy to tell whether or not his suspicions were true or not by just looking there…

Harry sucked in a breath.

Reflected in the mirror where a flat chest should be were breasts. Albeit small, but definitely noticeable.

Harry dropped the mirror.

"What in Merlin's name happened to me!" he asked in a hoarse whisper.

He turned his wide emerald eyes in the direction of his Head of House, his face filled with terror.

"May I just ask you one thing, miss?" McGonagall said slowly.

Harry nodded.

"What is your name?"

"Harry Potter." Harry said, "I'm Harry Potter."

The entire common room launched into an uproar.

* * *

Conditions Met: 

These conditions have only been met half-way so far.

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched unvolunterily.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, this is quite an interesting development." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling madly as he looked over Harry's new form.

"You're telling me…" Harry groaned, his head buried in his hands.

After declaring his name, the entire common room went mad. McGonagall was able to get him out of there somehow, dragging him down to the dungeons to have Snape do a blood test. The results came back, saying that he was indeed Harry Potter, just in a female body. He could have sworn that there was a glitter of glee in the Potion's professor's eyes as he said this. Great, just another thing that he could make Harry's life miserable with…

Soon after, the Transfiguration professor hauled the now female teen to her private quarters, going through some drawers and pulling out a bra. She examined Harry's chest for a moment and then nodded.

"Do you know how to put one of these on?" she asked.

"No!" Harry squeaked, his face turning a brilliant shade of red.

"Well then, I shall do it for you. Just take off your shirt…" the woman trailed off as she realized how absurd the situation was.

Harry did as he was told and stood perfectly still as McGonagall put the darned contraption on him. It hugged his skin and made him feel trapped.

"This thing is awful…" Harry said, pulling at the side of it.

"Yes, well, it is the price one must pay when they are a woman. Now, button up your shirt and I will take you to the Headmaster's office. See what on earth he thinks will be best for this sort of… ailment."

And now, Harry sat in front of the Headmaster, feeling more embarrassed now than at any other time in his life. He just wanted to curl up and die on the spot.

Snape stood in the corner, looking over the distraught teen. He went over the many different spells that could do this to a person, but all of them had to be done in close range. Also, these spells were not found in any ordinary spell book either. Only someone with very fantastic and secretive sources would be able to get their hands on a spell like this…

"Headmaster." Snape said, his obsidian eyes snapping towards the old man, "Do you think that the Dark Lord could have done this?"

The silver-haired man leaned back in his chair. "It is most certainly possible. But the question would be, why?"

"Females are supposedly weaker than their male counterparts. Perhaps he thought that if Harry was female that he would be weaker?"

McGonagall delivered a swift kick to Snape's shin.

"Or I could be completely wrong. No, I am sure that I am." The Potions Master wheezed as he clutched at his hurting leg.

Harry got up suddenly, causing the chair he was sitting in to fly backwards. "Oh Merlin!"

"What is it, Harry?" McGonagall asked, rushing to the teen.

"Am I gonna have periods?" he asked, remembering a conversation that Ginny and Hermione had had once at Grimmauld Place when they had thought that he was asleep. "Cause if they are anything as bad as what Hermione and Ginny said… Just kill me now and get it over with."

Snape looked over at the now young woman with a look of utter disbelief, "You get turned into a woman and all you can think about is whether or not you will have periods? Something has seriously scrambled your brains…" he then let out a sigh, "But have no fears. These kinds of spells can't go into _that_ much detail, changing the insides as well as the outside."

Harry let out a sigh of relief and then plopped down on the floor, sitting with his legs crossed.

"So, what are we going to do about the summer? Surely I can't go back to the Dursley's like this. They'd totally freak!" Harry said, a wide smile on his lips. "So can I stay here? Or with the Weasley's?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, Harry. With this new development, I think that it is even more important that you stay with your family. The wards will keep you safe from Voldemort."

"Yeah, well, maybe, but not from my relatives." Harry mumbled, crossing his arms. "I'd rather take Voldemort than my relatives any day. At least I can protect myself from Voldemort…"

"Surely you exaggerate, Harry." Dumbledore said softly, his eyes slightly sad.

"Whatever. Can I go now? I am probably gonna have to have girl lessons from Hermione now." Harry could feel the tears prickling at the edges of his eyes. He would not cry. He _refused_ to cry.

"All right. I shall write to your family right away. Professor McGonagall, could you help Harry… get accustomed to his new… ah…"

"Yes, Headmaster." The woman said, her lips slowly turning into a smile. She then put an arm around Harry's shoulder, "All right, Miss Potter, time to get you some proper clothing."

* * *

Conditions Met:

These conditions have only been met half-way so far.

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched unvolunterily.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Harry will now be addressed as a 'she' in this and following chapters.

* * *

Harry's ears were burning as she looked upon the new pile of clothing on her bed. McGonagall had taken her shopping and ended up choosing most of Harry's clothing. Most of the clothing was skirts and sleeveless shirts. Harry had been able to sneak in a few pairs of jeans and baggy long-sleeved shirts however. There was a clear difference between Harry and the professor as to what she should wear. McGonagall (or Minerva as the woman had insisted all during the trip) had thought that Harry would look wonderful in bright colors, buying him things in light greens, blues, and even some pinks. Harry had gone for a darker look, only buying black or dark green shirts. The only things they agreed on were the light blue jeans and the new pair of shoes that were a safe neutral grey. 

Underwear was the most embarrassing thing to buy. Harry had put her foot down, one hundred percent on anything with lace, roses, sequence or any other 'disturbingly girlie accessory' as she put it. Just simple white for most, and some black.

A knock on the door pulled Harry out of her stupor.

"Harry, can we come in?" came Ginny's voice from the other side.

Harry gave a hoarse laugh. She had just started getting up the courage to tell Ginny how she felt, and now! Now Harry was a girl! Now nothing could happen between them… Never.

"Yeah." She said, looking down at the floor.

The door opened and in came Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville.

"Are you all right?" Ginny asked, moving next to Harry, rubbing her back lightly. Harry's eyes snapped open and she scooted away a bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just… Well… Have to adjust, you know? I don't think the Dursley's will like this… No way." A strained laugh escaped her lips, "Oh well. Um, Hermione, could you help me find something to wear? I have all of this, and I don't know…"

Hermione nodded her understanding and picked up some of the clothing while Harry took the other half, and then the two disappeared into the bathroom.

There was silence between the three left in the room for a moment before Ron decided to break the silence.

"Wow… I still can't believe that Harry is a girl now… Not even after staring at him for like ten minutes straight."

"Technically, 'her', now, Ron." Ginny said. She stared at the bathroom door for a few moments, "Why did she flinch like that? It was like Harry was trying to get as far away from me as she could."

Neville shrugged his shoulders. He had taken to hanging out with Harry more ever since the battle in the Department of Mysteries. The two would talk about it sometimes. Or other times they would just talk about irrelevant things, like what was the best way to cook pineapples. It didn't matter, just as long as they were there for one another… They had both lost loved ones to Bellatrix Lestrange. They both knew the anger that had bottled up inside the other and understood it. Neville couldn't stand watching Harry go through something that he couldn't help with…

In the bathroom…

Harry stood in the bathroom, looking at the collection of clothing. "So, what should I wear?"

Hermione shook her head, "I don't think that is what you asked me in here about, Harry."

Harry stared at her for a moment and then stooped down, taking out matching underwear and then fishing out a pair of light blue jeans. She then rooted through the pile some more, and found a black sleeveless shirt.

"This look okay?" Harry asked, holding the clothes up a bit so that her friend could see them.

"Yes, Harry, they look fine." Hermione said, smiling faintly. She then sat on the edge of the seat and watched Harry undress. "You know, you should tell her. I don't think that she would really care. She knows that it really is you under all of that."

"Hmph. I can tell she is totally weirded out by the whole thing. No way would she still want to date me…"

"You are such a pessimist, it is insane!" Hermione yelled, taking a shirt and throwing it at Harry.

The shirt landed on Harry's head, covering her face. She turned to face Hermione, hands on her hips, "Very funny, Hermione."

Hermione burst out in laughter, holding her sides. Harry ripped the shirt from her head and threw it on the floor. "May I ask what is so funny, Hermione Anne Granger?"

"Just you!" the brown-haired young woman said. "You really aren't that threatening, you know. Especially when you are only in your underwear."

Harry's face turned scarlet and she pulled on the pair of jeans she had picked out. She then put on her shirt.

"Okay, having long hair is really annoying." Harry mumbled.

"Let me, Harry." Hermione said as she pushed herself off of the sink. She then took all of Harry's hair out from under her shirt and then combed it out with her fingers. She then separated the combed hair into three parts, beginning to braid it carefully. Hermione then fished in her pocket for a moment and then found a green scrunchie. She tied it at the end of the braid, keeping it together. "There we go. It should stay out of your way most of the time now."

"Thanks 'Mione…" Harry said softly, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Do you want to go back into the dorm room, or are you going to stay in here for a while? Either way, I am going to pack your trunk for you, I have seen what you have done to your clothes by just flinging them in there." Hermione said, lightly smiling as she finished.

Harry answered by shaking her head, a smile upon her face and making her way back into the dorm room.

"What do you think?" Harry asked, turning around a little so that her audience could see everything.

"Very nice, Harry." Ginny said softly, her eyes sad.

Ron nodded and turned his face away as it began to turn red.

"You look very pretty, Harry." Neville said.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Neville and then laughed, "Thanks, Neville."

Neville nodded and then lay down on his bed. "What are you going to do for sleeping arrangements? There are only three days left, but that means two more nights here. Are you going to stay here or are you going to go off somewhere else?"

Harry tilted her head to the side. Was it just her, or did Neville sound like he wanted her to stay?

"I don't know, 'Ville. I still need to ask McGonagall. I will probably stay in the infirmary. Pomfrey will probably want to take some tests anyway…"

"Well, I hope that you feel better soon." Ginny said as she left the room.

"How the hell do you get better from being changed into a girl?" Ron asked, his voice raised an octave.

"Yep. I'm staying in the infirmary."

* * *

Conditions Met: 

These conditions have only been met half-way so far.

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched unvolunterily.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry stood on the platform, waiting for Uncle Vernon to pick her up. Professor McGonagall had accompanied her, just in case Vernon wouldn't take her for any odd reason. Harry continued to plead with Dumbledore so that she could stay at Hogwarts, but the old man would hear none of it.

Harry then caught sight of Vernon stomping up towards them out of the corner of her eye and she bit her lip, moving so that she was behind McGonagall a bit.

Vernon took one look at Harry and then motioned for the two of them to follow him. Once they were at the car, Vernon faced the Transfigurations professor.

"What is this about! Why has this… this child gone to your school a boy and come back a girl!" He asked, his voice a loud whisper, his index finger pointing at Harry accusingly.

"Someone cast a spell on him, or should I say her, a few days ago. We have not been able to identify what spell it was and thus have not been able to reverse it. We shall try again once he comes back from the holidays." McGonagall explained.

Vernon cast his eyes over Harry for a moment, taking in the new form his nephew had taken.

"Fine. But if you figure out how to cure this beforehand, you _will_ send for him!" Vernon yelled in a hoarse whisper, his face purpling even more.

"Yes, Mr. Dursley, I assure you."

Then Professor McGonagall morphed into her animagus form and sprinted off to find a good place to Apparate away.

Vernon stood there for a moment, staring at the empty space and then gruffly took Harry by the hair, pulling hard on it.

"If you so much as step one foot outside when we get home, I will kill you, got it?" the purple-faced man said as he continued pulling on the teen's hair, making tears form in her eyes.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon, I understand."

"What will I do if you step one foot outside!"

"Y-you'll kill me!" Harry answered in a hoarse whisper.

"Good… girl. Put your trunk in the back."

Harry did as she was told and took her seat in the back.

((The Pretender))

The dinner table was silent tonight, which was odd, because Petunia often talked about what she had spied the neighbors doing that morning and Vernon would talk about all of the incompetents at work. But tonight, not a word was spoken, and Harry had the worst feeling that it was because of her.

She swallowed her last bite of steak and then excused herself. She took the plate and glass into the kitchen, cleaning them off and putting them on the drying rack. She then tiptoed quietly to her room.

Harry lay on the bed, her mind spinning. If this was how the Dursley's were going to be the entire time Harry was a girl, maybe she should just stay that way. Well, until she turned seventeen, anyway…

She sighed and then began to change. She had bought a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants to use for night clothes, pretty much the same thing she had used as a boy, just now they actually fit instead of falling right off of her.

There was a knock at the door as Harry was pulling on her sweatpants, the sudden noise making her fall over in surprise.

"Um… a minute please?" she asked, pulling the pants up the rest of the way and then getting up on all fours before she stood up and went to the door.

The door opened and Dudley stood on the other side. Harry blinked a few times and then looked her cousin in the eyes.

"Yeah? What is it?" she asked, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

"You can really do that? At your school? You can become the other gender just like that?" Dudley asked, his eyes wide as he took in his cousin's form.

Harry shifted uneasily as she felt Dudley's eye's raking over her, "No, not really. This guy just hexed me really bad. Nobody knows the spell that did it… and they don't know the counter for it yet either… until then…" Harry stopped. "Why do you want to know this?"

Dudley just stared at Harry.

"I'm going to close the door…" she said, suddenly feeling very nervous and slightly frightened. She never saw such an intense look on Dudley's face except for when the boy was playing video games or found his next victim for a punching…

Harry slammed the door shut and then jumped into bed.

She didn't sleep a wink that night…

* * *

Conditions Met: 

These conditions have only been met half-way so far.

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.


	5. Chapter 5

_To Professor Snape:_

_I beg you; _please_ find a cure to this curse! I have been home for only two days and the Dursley's are seriously creeping me out! Dudley won't stop _staring_ at me! I'm afraid he might do something. Please! I beg you!_

_Harry Potter_

Severus leaned back in his chair as he contemplated the letter. It was quite disturbing that Harry would be afraid that her cousin would actually do something. But still, that would be highly unlikely. The b-girl was probably exaggerating to get attention.

He turned his attention then to the door. Someone was lurking outside of it. He took up his wand and carefully made his way to the door. The door opened with a bang and someone ran inside. Snape tackled the person to the floor, holding his wand to the person's head.

"Who are you! Who sent you!" Severus said as he turned the person over so he could look at them.

A gasp escaped his lips.

A woman with long, tan-colored hair, peppered with grey lay beneath him. She wore tattered robes that had been patched many times. Her mouth was clenched, her lips turning red from the pressure. But it was her eyes that caused him to gasp. Those honey colored eyes that held so much emotion.

"Lupin?" Severus asked quietly.

The woman beneath him let out a sigh. "Yes, Severus, it is me…" Lupin's voice had changed to an alto, and was silky smooth, not interrupted by cracks or the roughness that normally plagued his… her voice.

"You too?" Severus whispered under his breath.

"Me too? Who else has this happened to?" Lupin asked, her eyebrow's furrowing.

"Potter. Potter turned into a girl a couple of days ago. I think it fried her brains though. She thinks that her cousin is going to do something…"

"Will you please get off of me, Snape, you are quite heavy!" the tan-haired woman said, shoving the man off of her.

Snape got up and then walked over to his desk. Lupin followed him and cast her eyes over Severus' desk. She picked up the letter and read over it.

"I don't think that that is hi-her brain is being fried. I think that this is legitimate fear. Severus, how could you not report this to the Headmaster?" Her voice began to rise in volume, and Severus could tell that she was going into mother-wolf mode.

"I only just got the letter, Lupin." Severus muttered, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair again.

"You are impossible!" Lupin said as she sat on the Potions Master's desk. "I am not moving until you go up to Dumbledore's office and tell him about the letter!"

Severus rolled his eyes and let his head fall back. He caught sight of the calendar and noticed the picture of the full moon on that day's date.

"Lupin…" Severus said, his eyes wide as he looked back at the woman on his desk.

"Yeah. I kind of noticed too, Severus. I've become a woman, and I don't change anymore. I came here hoping that you might know why."

"I have no clue." The obsidian-eyed man said as he got up, "But we are going to have a little chat with the Headmaster and try to sort all of this insanity up."

* * *

A/N: Yay! We have another person who changed gender! Though, I guess I should have a girl change too… any suggestions? 

Conditions Met:

These conditions have only been met half-way so far.

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry stood in the kitchen, cooking dinner for the family once again. She was still extremely weirded out by their new treatment of her. They didn't make her do as many chores (but of course, most of her chores were outside ones, and saying as Vernon forbade her to go outside, she had no other choice but to stay inside all of the time) and actually let her have full meals.

She had sent off a letter to Snape two days ago, but had gotten no answer whatsoever. This worried the girl even more, afraid that perhaps Snape would refuse to find a way to get her back to normal. That or he was the one that did it in the first place, thus refusing to reverse the curse.

Harry was shaken out of her reverie when she noticed that the water had started boiling. She took the top off and turned the temperature down a bit. She then began to break the spaghetti into halves and put it into the boiling water. She replaced the lid and turned the temperature back up. She then turned her attention to the sauce. It was bubbling nicely and gave off a nice scent.

"Is it almost ready?" Petunia snapped as she looked nervously out of the window. Vernon's boss was coming to dinner that night, and she didn't want anything to go wrong.

"Almost, Aunt Petunia. The spaghetti just needs to cook some more. I put the sauce on low, since it is done cooking; it just needs to stay warm. The garlic bread is in the oven, cooling off a bit."

"Good. You will serve us all and then sit next to Mr. Carlisle's son, got it?" Petunia said, glaring at Harry.

"O-okay…" Harry said, eyes going wide.

She went back to attending to the spaghetti when the doorbell rang. Greetings were exchanged between the Carlisle's and Dursley's and then they began to shuffle into the dining room.

"Is the dinner ready, darling?" Petunia said in a sugary sweet voice that made Harry jump.

"Y-yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry said as she strained the pasta and then put it back into the pot. She began to make up plates of food for everyone, and then began to serve everyone; the Carlisle's being first, then the Dursley's. The small amount that was left, Harry kept for herself. She then nervously made her way towards the empty seat next to the Carlisle's son and sat down.

"Hi." The young man said, smiling at Harry.

"Um… um… hi…" Harry stuttered.

"She is a very timid girl." Petunia said, "Not very good with words really…"

Mr. Carlisle took a bite of the spaghetti, and smiled, "May not be good with words, but she sure is good with cooking. My word, what a talented chef you are."

"Thank you, sir." Harry said, looking down at her food. She then blinked. "Oh! I forgot, is there anything you would like to drink? I'm sorry…"

"Well, the adults will be having wine. The three of you may figure out what you want." Vernon said, picking up the wine bottle and uncorking it.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon. What would you like to drink… um…"

Mr. Carlisle's son smiled, "Harry. My name is Harry."

'You've got to be kidding me…' Harry thought.

"Harold. You go by Harold, dear." Mrs. Carlisle said.

"Fine, mum." Harold said, rolling his eyes. "I'll help you. Dudley, what do you want?"

"Soda." Dudley replied.

"Right." Harold said.

Once Harry and Harold were in the kitchen, Harry let out a huge sigh.

"I can't believe I did that… Oh Merlin, I can't believe that I did that…"

Harold looked at her oddly, his eyebrows raised, "Can't believe that you did what?"

"Forgot the drinks!" Harry whispered loudly. If this were any other time, Petunia would have had her hide by now. Or worse, Vernon.

"Well, don't worry, I don't mind. I can forgive a gal as pretty as you." Harold said as he walked towards the fridge and opened it, taking out a bottle of soda.

Harry stopped for a moment and then laughed weakly. "Um, would you get the water jug too?"

Harold did as he was told and set both bottles on the counter. "Soda or water?" Harry asked.

"Water."

Harry poured the drinks and put the containers back in the fridge. She gave Dudley his drink and then sat back at her place next to Harold.

"Your niece is lovely. So very well mannered. Though, she should be more like your son and more confidence in herself. She will get all stepped on if she doesn't learn to have more confidence." Mrs. Carlisle said, actual concern in her voice. She looked at Harry for a moment, her eyes looking her up and down. Harry bowed her head and continued to eat, hoping that no one could see the blush that was steadily creeping onto her face.

The conversation then turned to praising Dudley and finally business. Harold was finished eating first, but he waited a while, quietly listening to the conversation. Harry finished second, and she tentatively held her head up.

"Um, Uncle Vernon, can I be excused from the table please?" she asked.

Vernon looked over his "niece" for a few moments and then nodded. "Just make sure you wash off Harold's plate and glass with yours. Silverware too."

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry said as she got up from her seat and took the two empty plates, the silverware, and glasses away from the table and moved towards the kitchen. Harold excused himself and followed Harry.

After rinsing off the plates and putting them on the drying rack, Harry looked outside. She wanted to go outside, but did not want to incur the wrath of Uncle Vernon. She was about to turn around to start her way to her bedroom when she bumped into Harold.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." Harry said, feeling very uncomfortable with the closeness of the two; she could feel his chest rising and falling against her breasts and his hands were on her hips. She moved, getting out of his grip, and began to walk up the stairs towards her room. Harold followed.

"Um… You… you can't come into my room." Harry said, standing in front of the doorway.

"Why not?" Harold asked, leaning towards Harry, gazing into her emerald eyes.

"My uncle would throw a fit. He would kill me."

"I would think that as long as you played nice with the boss's kiddy, it would be fine." Harold said. He then tilted his head, "Didn't your aunt tell you to sit next to me?"

"Well, yes, but…"

Harry could feel herself sweating. Harold was closing in on her and she couldn't move. Where were her Seeker reflexes now? She felt his hand touch her shoulder, and his forehead touch hers.

"Don't… please don't…" Harry whispered over and over. In her head, Harry kept praying for Snape to suddenly find the cure to the curse and burst through the door and cast it. After throwing this creep off of her first, of course.

The young man placed his hand on Harry's bare leg. Petunia had told the girl to wear a skirt tonight, and so Harry obeyed. The hand kept going higher and higher…

"What the hell are you doing?" came Dudley's voice from the base of the stairs. His eyes were huge as he stared at the young man trying to force himself on his cousin.

"What is going on, Dudley? You shouldn't use such language when company is over." Petunia said, and then stopped as her eyes fell on Harry.

The rest of those at the dinner table had made their way to the base of the stairs and were staring at Harold and Harry.

Mr. Carlisle could only splutter, Vernon stood with his mouth open, but Mrs. Carlisle was furious, her eyes burning.

"Harold Quincy Carlisle! How dare you put your hands on a girl when it is so clear that she does not want to be touched! I thought that I raised you better!" She stormed up the stairs and hit him upside the head. She then took him by the ear and pulled. "You apologize to the girl! Now!"

Harold glared at Harry, "I'm sorry."

"Good. Now into the car with you! I will talk to you more once we get home!" Mrs. Carlisle watched as her son left the house and then turned to Harry, "I am so sorry, my dear. You should have said something, though. If you did, I would have had a talk with him."

Harry stared down at the floor. She knew that if she had said anything, the woman would have claimed that her darling son could not have done anything of the sort and said that she was a liar. That was why she didn't say anything.

Mrs. Carlisle then fixed her clothing and then went down the stairs, joining her husband. "Thank you for the lovely evening, Mr. Dursley, but we really should go. We once again apologize for our son's behavior."

And with that, they left, leaving the Dursley's staring at Harry, who had crumbled in the hallway and began to cry.

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.


	7. Chapter 7

'How in Merlin's name can you just smile while all of this insanity is going on, you stupid old coot!' was what Remus wanted to scream at the Headmaster. The old man was simply sitting at his place, smiling at the woman, his eyes having an extra twinkle in them. This did _not_ assure Remus. In fact, it was only making him even more worried.

Severus cleared his throat. "Headmaster, I do apologize, but I must remind you that we _do_ have a situation on our hands. Somehow, Potter and Lupin have been turned into females. By a spell that we do not know and thus do not know the cure. I suggest-"

"Look, I don't really care that I have become a woman, or the truly odd fact that I don't have to worry about my 'furry little problem' anymore, I am just worried about Harry! How could you send her back there as a girl? Did you not think that something would happen! Trust me, something will happen! I know it!"

"'Furry little problem'?" Severus repeated, his voice incredulous and his eyebrows arching.

"It is what James decided to call my lycanthropy." Remus said off-handedly. He then snapped his attention back to Dumbledore, "Look, Albus. I think of Harry as my own, and if anything happens…"

"It will all be fine." Dumbledore said, sighing slightly. "If there is anything wrong, the wards will go off."

"You haven't been listening to me! I'm not worried about Voldemort. Harry could take that bastard any day! I care about what those stupid Muggles will do to her."

"And why do you insist that something will go wrong?" Dumbledore asked, his face suddenly serious, the twinkling in his eyes non-existent.

"Because Harry told me about it. He told me about the weeks without food. He told me about all of the chores that he has to do. _Alone_. Albus, Harry is being abused, and you won't see it! What do you need before you believe me? Harry's dead and mangled body?"

Remus looked into Dumbledore's eyes, honey locking with light blue. There was no sign of the older man changing his position on the matter.

"Fine." The tan-haired woman said, letting out a sigh, "I will… I will just go down to the dungeons. I am sure Severus will let me stay there for the night."

"Are you mad!" Severus practically yelled.

Remus took Severus by the arm and then yanked him towards her. She then put her mouth close to his ear, "I will explain once we get to your rooms, all right, Severus?"

The obsidian-eyed man suppressed a shiver as that warm breath danced across his skin. He nodded slowly and then let the woman lead him back down to the dungeons.

((The Pretender))

Remus sat on Severus' bed, eyes closed and breathing steadily. Severus watched her with slight interest. It appeared that the woman was meditating, or something akin to it. She looked so much younger with that peaceful expression on her face. It seemed that she didn't have even one wrinkle…

"Would you please stop staring at me? You are distracting me." Remus said, cracking one eye open.

Severus let out a small grunt and then averted his eyes to the floor, "You really should get some new robes, Lupin. Yours are just sad."

"Well, I can't well do that without a job, can I?" Remus said, now glaring at the Potions Master.

Severus raised his eyes and looked at the woman. Her hair was a lot longer than he thought. It had to go down to her thighs at the least. Potter's had only been to her back… Perhaps it was due to the fact that Lupin had already been growing her hair out…

The man shook his head, trying to rid it of the unnecessary thoughts.

"So, what was it that you wanted to speak with me about?" Severus asked.

"I want to go to the Dursley's. I want to get Harry out of that place before something really bad happens. And I need you to help me." Remus said quietly.

"Are you out of your mind? Go to the Boy-Who-Lived's house and then kidnap him? You know how much shit we would go through, doing that? We would be sent to Azkaban!" Severus said, eyes wide and patience growing thin.

"Harry is practically my son. Daughter. Whatever! Harry is my cub and no one is allowed to hurt her! I refuse!" Remus said. She then walked over to Severus and then put her hands on the arms of the chair, trapping the man. Her face lingered a few inches from Severus', her breath dancing across his face, "I couldn't live with myself, Severus. I just couldn't."

Severus looked into Remus' honey eyes. They were filled with such pain, sadness, and a yearning. A yearning to see her cub back. A yearning for everything to be all right. But there was another yearning there as well. One that seemed to be repressed somewhat. One that wasn't quite clear, as if the woman was afraid to let the man know what it was.

And then, before he knew what he was doing, Severus placed his lips upon Remus'. Soft and tender to the touch. It was a chaste kiss, and yet it took the man's breath away.

Remus looked up at Severus, her eyes slightly wide, but a small smile was tugging at her lips. She lowered her head and rested it against the man's chest.

"You don't know how long I have waited for that…"

"For as long as you have called me Severus?"

"Yeah…"

Severus tugged at Remus' arm, persuading her to sit down on his lap. The two sat in silence for ten minutes, simply thinking to themselves, before Remus looked up at Severus.

"I think that we should start planning on how we are going to save Harry."

"All right," Severus said. He paused for a moment and then a smirk flitted across his lips, "Remmy."

"Remmy!" the woman squeaked in indignation, leaning back farther to look at Severus' face.

"Of course. Remus just doesn't suit you that much anymore. Way too masculine. But of course, I have been saying that since I met you."

Remus hit Severus upside the head and then stormed out of the bedroom.

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a week after the Harold incident and Harry was on thin ice. Vernon was agitated constantly, forever afraid that he would get a pay cut. He would yell even more than usual and a couple days he came home drunk. Harry tried to get all of her chores done before he got home, so that he couldn't take any of his frustrations out on her, but unfortunately, today was not one of those days.

"Guess what! That bastard Carlisle reduced my pay! I knew that brat of his would have power over him. I knew that if he didn't get what he wanted, he would complain to Daddy! Why couldn't you even do this right, you freak!" Vernon yelled as he held Harry by the wrists, pinning her to the wall. His breath wreaked of alcohol and his pupils were dilated. "You good for nothing piece of shit! You are a curse to this entire household! We should have drowned you in a river when you were placed on our doorstep! Then we would have been saved all of these troubles!"

Harry bit her lip to keep from yelling out from the pain coming from her wrists. She soaked in the usual lecture, just as she had all the hundreds from before, tolerating the spit spraying in her face, the deafening sound of Vernon's voice.

Suddenly Vernon let go of Harry, letting her drop to the floor. The man wheezed a couple of times and then pointed up the stairs.

"To your room. I will deal with you there."

Harry nodded, slinking up the stairs and entering her room. She didn't have a good feeling about this. Something in her brain told her to run and hide. To go outside and run as fast as she could to someone that would protect her. Anyone. The other part of her was still ingrained with the "I must follow Uncle Vernon's orders." mantra that had been drilled into her since she came to the Dursley's home.

Vernon then entered the room, holding his belt in his hands like a whip. He closed the door behind him and locked it securely.

"Take off your shirt." Vernon commanded.

Harry slipped onto the floor and then did as she was told.

"Move your hair out of the way."

Harry pulled her hair to her right side, so that none of it was covering her back. She could feel his eyes looking her over. She sat on her feet, huddled over. The air around her was cold, and she felt the goose bumps popping up onto her skin.

Suddenly, a crack sounded through the room and Harry felt immense pain in her back. It was as though she were struck by lightning. She could feel her skin break and peel. She could feel the blood running out of the cut. She could practically hear it dripping onto the floor.

A scream escaped her lips.

Again and again the belt came down, hitting Harry with it's full force, lashing into her skin, making her bleed.

After about ten minutes, in which it felt an eternity to Harry, Vernon stopped. He looked at the blood on the floor and wrinkled his nose.

"Clean this up, girl, or you will regret it." And with those words, Vernon left the room.

Harry couldn't move. The pain was too much and she couldn't move. The air was seeping into the cuts, making them hurt even more.

Tears silently rolled down her cheeks as she tried to move, but couldn't. She wanted to call for help, but knew that none would come. She simply wanted to die right there.

She would rather take Voldemort any day…

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.


	9. Chapter 9

It was a week after Severus and Remus came up with their plan to rescue Harry. They had watched for about an hour, making sure that no-one would be going in or out of the house.

"Okay, Severus, I think that I can go to the door now. How do I look?" Remus said, turning around in her new dress so that Severus could examine her. She wore a simple powder-blue sundress with a honey-colored ribbon tied around her slim waist to set off the color of her eyes. She wore white strappy sandals that made her two inches taller on her feet.

Severus smirked and then pecked the woman on the cheek, "You have really warmed up to women's clothing quickly. It was a lot harder to convince Potter to wear women's clothing."

"Well, I think it has to do with the fact that dresses are actually a lot like robes. So I automatically feel comfortable in them." Remus said. She then placed a hand on Severus' cheek. "Thank you for coming with me. I know you don't really like Harry all that much, but I really do think-"

A scream interrupted her words, making the woman jerk away from the man and stare wide-eyed at the house. She then turned to Severus, her face in complete panic, "That was Harry's voice! That was Harry's voice! Why would she be screaming like that? Do you think that something-"

"Shut up." Severus said, pulling the woman into an embrace. He then pulled her back into the bushes, "I know that it is hard for you, but we will wait for about another ten minutes, then you can go in, all right? You need to calm down. I can't have you going all mother-wolf on them, got it? If you freak out, you will mess up the entire plan."

Remus nodded slightly, but still stared at the house. She waited for the agonizing ten minutes and then walked up to the door. She knocked tentatively and waited for an answer. A large whale of a boy answered. 'Must be Dudley…' Remus thought to herself.

"Um, excuse me, dear, but, oh dear, I feel so silly for asking this, but could I use your bathroom?" she asked.

"Mum! There's a woman at the door saying that she's gotta use the loo! Should I let her in?" the boy yelled over his shoulder.

Remus could feel her face flush as the boy walked away from the door and a horse-faced woman took his place, staring the tan-haired woman up and down.

"Could I please use your bathroom? I just… I really need to use it. Female problems, you know?" Remus tried weakly, trying to smile but failing miserably.

The horse-faced woman nodded, "Yes, you may use the restroom. It is up the stairs and the first door on the right."

Remus nodded and then bolted into the house, going into the bathroom and shutting the door loudly behind her. She then took out her wand and then pointed it at herself. She muttered a spell. 'All those years of pranking finally paid off.' She thought with a smile. Remus had used a 'Notice-me-not" spell that she had often used with James, Sirius and Peter on their ventures out to the Forbidden Forest when they all began to outgrow James' invisibility cloak.

She opened the door, then looked both ways. She tip-toed out of the bathroom and went to the room next to it. The smell of blood engulfed her nostrils. Her hand went to the knob and she entered the room.

The sight that greeted her almost made her vomit.

Harry Potter sat on the floor, leaning over, tears streaming down her face. Her bare back was covered in fresh cuts that were still bleeding, staining the floor a deep red.

"Oh, Merlin, Uncle Vernon, please, please don't… not anymore. I promise I'll clean it up. Just five minutes…" she pleaded, her soprano voice wretched from screaming and crying.

Remus took the spell off of herself and then made her way to Harry.

"Harry, Harry, it isn't your Uncle. It is me, Remus." She said, tilting Harry's chin up.

Harry looked at her for a moment, taking in Remus' new look.

"You too, huh?" the ebony-haired young woman said, a wry smile tugging at her lips. She then wrapped her arms around Remus, holding her close. "You came for me, right? You came to save me, right Remus?"

"Yes, Harry, I've come to take you somewhere safe. Now, there isn't much that I can do here. Do you think that you are healthy enough to Apparate with myself and Professor Snape? We will take you to Hogwarts, where Madame Pomfrey will take care of you."

"Why can't you just get me out of here now?" Harry asked, her voice cracking and threatening a second wave of sobs.

"There are certain wards on the house that keep people from Apparating in." Remus explained, "Come on. Let us get your things. And find you a black shirt to put over you, okay?"

Harry nodded. She tried to stand up, but found that she couldn't. Remus looked at her pup with sad eyes. She went over to Harry's trunk and fished out a black shirt. Then she closed the trunk and shrunk it, placing it in a pocket in her dress. The older woman then helped the younger one put on the shirt.

Once everything was situated, Remus dropped to her knees, "You still weigh, like, ninety-five pounds, don't you?"

"Hundred and three now, but there isn't much of a difference. But why?" Harry asked.

"We are going to piggy back you out of here." Remus answered.

Harry climbed onto the other woman's back, wincing slightly as the shirt was pressed tightly against the cuts in her back.

Remus whispered the 'Notice-Me-Not' spell and then they made their way out of the house.

No one noticed.

Remus and Harry were in and out the door as fast as you could say "Quidditch". Remus took off the spell as soon as they were with Severus.

"She can't move. Her 'uncle' decided to beat her. She is still bleeding. We need to get her to the infirmary as soon as possible."

Severus nodded and lightly touched Harry's head while he held Remus around the waist.

And then they were gone.

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.


	10. Chapter 10

Dumbledore looked down at the young woman that lay on the hospital bed. After many pain relievers and sleeping potions, the girl was finally asleep. The wounds were taken care of, healed as much as magic would help. The girl still needed bandages on her back, to catch the blood from when the cuts opened again, which seemed inevitable if the girl didn't stay perfect still. Pomfrey had said that there would most definitely be scars left over. But the thing that upset Dumbledore the most was that he had turned a blind eye to the girl's abuse through the five years that she was in his care. He didn't notice it. He didn't try to do anything. He refused to believe that someone related to Lily Potter would do that to a child. In such a way, Dumbledore acted like Snape, seeing only one of the Potters instead of the actual person. And this time it could have proved fatal…

((The Pretender))

"I don't have to stay here, do I?" Harry asked, staring up at Remus. Her neck ached for always having to look up at people.

"No. We will find somewhere for you to go." Remus said softly, taking Harry's right hand and patting it soothingly.

"Why can't I just stay with you?"

"Well, I doubt that you would like that. I am staying with Severus." Remus said, a blush creeping upon her face.

Harry smiled, "So you and Snape. Who would have thought. Is it just because of the girl thing or did you two like each other beforehand?"

"Turns out we were both harboring crushes for the other for all of these years. Mine on Severus since third year, his on me since fourth year. We just never thought that the other would accept. We were too afraid to admit our feelings. In a way… I guess this was a good thing."

"Well, I am just glad that you have someone, Remus. You were getting pretty lonely. I was wondering whether or not I would have to sic Tonks on you."

"Please don't. Especially since she has been trying to get into my pants for a while now anyway." Remus groaned, "That woman just does not quit!"

A small chuckle escaped Harry's lips.

"Remmy, are you talking about me?" Severus asked as he appeared in the doorway to the Hospital Wing.

"No." Harry and Remus said at the same time. The two shared a look and then laughed.

"Well, maybe a little." Remus said.

"I think that it is wonderful that you and 'mum' are together. You have my blessing." Harry said cheekily.

"If school were in session, I would deduct at least a hundred points for that remark." The obsidian-eyed man quipped, pulling Remus into a backwards embrace. He placed his chin on Remus' shoulder and looked down at Harry, "I spoke to a few people who are interested in taking a now female Boy-Who-Lived. Top of the list is Longbottom."

Harry blinked. "Say what? Why not the Weasley's?"

"It seems that they went out of the country. I think that they went to Romania to visit that second son of theirs…"

Harry nodded her head the best she could. "I understand… Who else?"

"Andromeda Tonks has said that if worse comes to shove, she could maybe take you in. You are the godson, er goddaughter, of her favorite cousin. Then there is also Moody. I have no idea why he volunteered, he would probably forget that he let you stay with him and kill you in your sleep." Severus continued, "There was also a Mr. Lovegood who offered his home. Said that you knew his daughter? But either way, I would say that your best bet would be the Longbottoms. Mrs. Longbottom is very talented in Defense magic. Perhaps not as good as her son and daughter-in-law, but still very advanced."

Harry nodded and then stretched. "The woman of the vulture hat, yes?"

Snape pursed his lips as a smirk appeared on Harry's face, "Fifty points from Gryffindor."

"I say sixty points _to_ Gryffindor for finding something that irks the Potions Master." Remus said.

Severus threw the two a glare and then left the room in a flurry of robes.

Remus sighed dramatically, "He always gets like that when he feels unloved. I better go give him some attention before he goes off and starts flooing to students' homes to scare the daylights out of them."

Harry laughed and wished Remus luck. She then hunkered down for hopefully the last time for a while in the infirmary bed and fell back to sleep.

* * *

Conditions Met:

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love. (extra points if it's Remus!)


	11. Chapter 11

Harry's mouth dropped open when she saw the Longbottom's house. Or should she say mansion?

It was an old building made of stone. There were two gardens in the front and a small fountain. There had to be at least four floors of the house, the balcony being on the second floor. All of the windows were arched and the curtains closed. There was a small greenhouse to the side of the main building, in which Harry could spy someone puttering around.

Harry turned to look at Remus and Severus. "So, this is Neville's place?" she asked.

Severus nodded and then motioned for the two to follow him. They went up to the door and rang the bell. The sound of chimes echoed throughout the home, alerting the inhabitants of their guests. The door opened and a small House-Elf bowed.

"Welcome Sir and Ladies. The Mistress is waiting in the dining room. Follow Darcy, please." The Elf said, leading the way to the dining room.

Once they entered, Darcy bowed to Mrs. Longbottom and then disappeared.

"Welcome, Harry. I am glad that you have decided to join us for the summer." Said a woman at the end of the table. She was somewhat plump, but also tall. She wore a long black dress with incredibly long sleeves, going well past her hands. When she got up, Harry could hear the click of high heels. She made her way to Harry and then extended her hand.

Harry took it and shook it firmly for a moment, then let go. Her gaze then fell to the floor, "Thank you for having me here, Mrs. Longbottom."

The older woman smiled lightly and then went back to her seat. "Severus, Remus, I would like to speak with you two before you leave." She turned to Harry, "Neville is puttering around in that greenhouse of his. I am sure that he would love your company, dear."

The young woman took the hint and went off in the direction of the greenhouse. She saw the brown-haired young man tending to a wilting fern, digging it up out of it's current pot to put it into a larger one. Harry let herself in and then announced her presence by clearing her throat.

Neville whirled around, "Harry!" he exclaimed, his face turning slightly pale.

"Um… yeah. Did your Gran not tell you that I was going to stay here?" Harry asked, walking forward and next to the startled teen.

"No." Neville said, biting his lip. He then sighed, "Shouldn't really surprise me. She never wants to step a foot in the greenhouse, refuses to. I'm always in here unless it is time for a meal. And by then I am just too tired to really care what on earth she is saying."

Harry blinked, not expecting this reaction from her friend. "You… you don't mind that I am here, do you?" she asked in a small voice.

Neville turned to Harry and then shook his head, his face a mixture of surprise and worry. "No, of course not! I am just… frustrated with… things at the moment. It has nothing to do with you…"

The ebony-haired girl nodded her head but didn't quite believe the boy.

There was a knock on the door of the green house and Neville and Harry looked up. Neville paled even more at the sight of his Potions professor.

"We just came by to say good-bye, Harry." Remus said, making her way towards the girl and pulling her into an embrace. She kissed the top of her head lightly, "If you have any problems, just owl me, all right?"

"Yeah, Remmy, I will." Harry said.

Severus stood next to Remus and was looking Harry up and down. He then let out a sigh and ruffled the girl's hair, "See you later Potter. Do try and stay out of trouble."

"Yes, Professor." Harry said, smiling.

Remus then turned to Neville, "Take care Mr. Longbottom, I hope to see you again soon."

And with that, the two adults left.

Neville turned to Harry, looking like a guppy. "What the bloody hell was that about? Who was that woman?"

Harry laughed, "That is a long story, 'Ville."

((The Pretender))

Harry laughed as she watched Neville perform his rendition of the Wyrd Sisters' latest song. He was terribly off key and was also attempting the dance moves. All in all, it was something that Harry hoped that Neville would never attempt in public, or the poor boy would be laughed off the stage with his face completely red.

Once the song ended, Neville lay back on his bed, breathing slightly labored as he tried to get his breath back. He turned to Harry who was sitting next to him, "What do you think?"

Harry smiled and shrugged, "It was interesting, I can tell you that." She then gave a little more thought to it, "As the Muggles say, 'Don't quit your day job.'"

"Hey!" Neville yelled as he tackled the girl, pushing her back on the bed.

The two struggled playfully, fighting to see who would end up on top. Neville had finally pinned Harry down and stared down at her.

"Ha ha, got ya." Neville said, a smirk on his face.

"No fair, I have a disadvantage." Harry stated, struggling a little under Neville's grip.

"I don't think you have a disadvantage." The boy said as he looked at the girl underneath him.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't think that being up there."

A laugh escaped Neville's lips and he drooped his head a bit. "Ugh, I am tired."

"I know what you mean." Harry muttered.

Neville stared down at the girl once more. Her hair fanned out around her, drifting out in long, delicate strands. Her eyes were as bright as ever, glistening slightly from tears of laughter. A smile was upon her lips. Those lips that were so pink and beautiful. The teen found himself being drawn towards those lips, bringing his head down farther and farther.

It was then that those emerald eyes snapped shut, eyebrows furrowing in pain, a whimper escaping those beautiful lips. Neville jumped off of the girl.

"Did I hurt you?" Neville asked hurriedly, looking down at the girl.

"Oh Merlin, it hurts!" Harry strained, rolling off of her back and onto her side. There was blood on the bed and seeping through her shirt.

"What the hell?" Neville said, panicking slightly at the amount of blood. "What is wrong, what happened?"

"I don't know! The cuts reopened! They weren't supposed to…" Harry responded. "Go to my room and get the vials that are on the bedside. Just bring all of them."

"Wouldn't it be faster for me to go get Gran?" Neville asked.

"Damn it, Neville! My room is just across the hall! Hurry up before I pass out, you arse!" Harry screamed, partly because of the pain and partly from not wanting to deal with the boy's stupidity.

Neville rushed out of the room and was back within a minute. Harry took a quick glance over the potions and then took the red one, uncorked it, and then swallowed the contents. She could feel the blood stop flowing out of the cuts as they began to magically stitch themselves back up. She let out a sigh and then rolled over once more onto her stomach.

"Neville, would you take off my shirt and make sure that all of the cuts are stitched up? I think they are but I am not all that sure…" Harry said in a low voice.

The young man nodded and then quickly did as he was told. He looked upon her back, and felt sick to his stomach. There was so much blood there that he couldn't tell where on earth the original cuts came from. He took a handkerchief out of his dresser drawer and then began to gently wipe the blood off of her back, the cloth quickly being stained red.

Once he was done mopping up the blood, he looked at the cuts, and nodded to himself. "Yeah, Harry, they are stitched back together. But who on earth did this to you in the first place?"

Harry went rigid for a moment, and then she propped herself up on her elbows, looking up at Neville with a serious expression upon her face, "My uncle decided that it was my fault that he got a reduction in pay. And since it was my fault, I needed to be punished. So he came to my room, had me take off my shirt and gave me a whole bunch of lashings. Lucky for me, Remus had decided to rescue me that day. If not, I most surely would have bled to death in that awful house."

Neville couldn't believe what he was hearing. Harry's relatives abused her? Why hadn't the girl ever told him? Granted they hadn't been close until recently but still, why hadn't she told him when they did become friends? When they did bond?

Harry, seeing Neville's dejected look, sighed and placed her hand over the boy's. "I didn't even tell Ron and Hermione, 'Ville. I wanted to tell you guys, especially you, but I couldn't… I just wasn't ready for anybody to know that…"

"The Boy-Who-Lived got beaten by her Muggle uncle?" Neville finished.

"Yeah." Harry said, closing her eyes and placing her head down on the pillow.

She lay there, looking as peaceful as a dove. It didn't seem that this girl could be hurting so much, both physically and emotionally.

Neville brushed the hair out of her face before he lay next to her and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry awoke the next morning with someone's arms around her. At first she jumped slightly, but then relaxed as she breathed in the familiar scent of her friend.

That scent of soil, flowers and water. Something so natural and yet calming.

She kept her eyes closed as she snuggled in closer to that scent, burying her head in Neville's chest. After a few moments, she realized that the young man was awake, combing his hand through her long hair.

"Good morning." He said quietly, hardly above a whisper.

Harry looked up at Neville and smiled, "Good morning."

They simply lay there, enjoying the other's presence and touch.

But suddenly, they weren't the only one's in the room, and a pair of big green eyes were staring at them.

Harry nearly screamed when she saw Darcy. She bolted upwards and then blushed furiously as she remembered that she didn't have a shirt on. She placed her arms across her chest in an attempt to be somewhat decent. Neville just watched Harry quietly, and then turned to the House-Elf.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Breakfast is ready now, Sir. When Sir and Miss did not arrive on time, Mistress became worried and sent Darcy. Darcy will tell Mistress that Sir and Miss are coming down."

Neville nodded and then the elf disappeared. The teen then looked at Harry and let out a sigh.

"I guess you're never going to get used to House-Elves just popping in and out of a room, are you?"

"No, I rather doubt it…" Harry answered, relaxing slightly but still keeping herself covered up.

"The House-Elves practically raised me. Well, until I was about ten." Neville let out a chuckle. "My Gran loves me, but she couldn't stand looking at me after Lestrange _crucio_d my parents. I kept reminding her of my dad, and she couldn't stand it. So it became Darcy's job to take care of me. It may seem sad to you, but I don't really see it that way. It was… necessary, in an odd way…

"Sorry, I'm rambling." Neville let out another chuckle. "Look, why don't you borrow one of my shirts for the morning and then you can take a shower and change, okay?"

Harry nodded slowly and then inched off of the bed. She went over and got a shirt out of the drawer, pulled it over her head, and looked at herself in the mirror.

"It's a little big, but it will be okay…" Harry commented to herself.

((The Pretender))

Two weeks passed by at the Longbottom household. Harry had owled Remus about the opening of her wounds, but reassured her that she was fine, just that the girl needed more of that specific potion from Severus.

Harry and Neville had become inseparable. They worked for hours in the greenhouse, sharing stories and just plain goofing off. Evenings were often spent in Neville's room reading or listening to music. Though, those nights were cut short by Mrs. Longbottom, whom had found them snuggled up in the bed together one morning when they had fallen asleep while listening to Neville's most recently acquired record. The woman had been irate and ranted for about two hours. A curfew was then set up in which the older woman would check and make sure that the two teenagers were in their respective beds at precisely ten o'clock. House-Elves were also posted at the doors.

"She's a little nutters, 'Ville, just thought that you would like to know that." Harry said as she looked over her book at the teen.

"I know, but she means well…" Neville defended lamely. "At least she doesn't have a House-Elf watch us whenever we are alone. If she did that, _then_ I'd check her into St. Mungo's."

Harry laughed lightly and then looked at the clock. "Hmm… It is nine fifty-five. Time for me to go. Good night 'Ville."

The girl got up and was about to reach out for the door when she heard Neville get up.

"W-wait…" the boy said as he walked up to her. He bit his lip and his cheeks were slightly pink. He lowered his head and then pecked Harry on the cheek.

Harry blinked, her emerald eyes wide at the gesture. A smile then broke out on her face and she brushed her lips against his in a light kiss.

"Ahem."

Harry and Neville broke apart, looking towards the voice that came from the doorway.

There, with her arms across her chest, her foot madly tapping and one eyebrow quirked, was Mrs. Longbottom.

"Um. I was just… leaving…" Harry said as she felt her face turn red. She then bowed her head and ran out of the room.

The older woman waited until she heard the slam and lock of the door before she entered her grandson's room and rounded on him.

"And just _what_ was that about, Neville Longbottom?" she demanded, her eyes narrowed.

"It was just… I dunno, a good night kiss I guess." Neville shrugged.

"Look at me when I am talking to you, boy." Mrs. Longbottom said.

Neville complied.

"Do you have any sense in you? You were kissing Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived! What on earth compelled you to do that?"

"I didn't, Harry-"

The woman cut him off with a quick glare, "I will not have you going off about some girl. You still have two years of schooling left. You have enough troubles in your classes as it is! If you have a girl distracting you, Merlin knows what will happen! You would probably get kicked out!

"Your father would never have done this. He would have had a lot more sense. He didn't go out with your mother until they graduated. He paid attention to his studies. Not some girl or some stupid flowers. And may I remind you that Harry is a boy! He may not look like one, but he is! How on earth are you going to continue the family line! Obviously your parents can't have another child, it is up to you! And you go around with someone who will never be able to-"

"SHUT UP!" Neville screamed at the top of his lungs. He took a few ragged breaths and then glared at his grandmother.

"Look, I am _not_ my father. I may be a failure to you and I have an interest in things other than Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I am doing what _I_ want to do! I am not going to be ruled by what my father did! I am not going to do something just because _you_ want me to do it! I am not a trained dog, damn it!

"And seriously, is that all you care about? The continuation of the Longbottom family? You care about that more than me. That is totally screwed up, you know? You would rather me be miserable in a marriage with six kids than be happy with a wife who is sterile and a couple adopted ones? Well, you know what, I don't think I am going to do that! I am tired of you bringing me down and trying to take charge of me. It is my life. _My_ life! Emphasis on the 'my'. Not yours! Not dad's! Mine!"

Neville took in a deep breath and then sighed. "Now, I am going to go to sleep. Good night, _Grandmother_."

With that, Neville closed the door in his grandmother's face.

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry sat at her place at the dining room table, slowly stabbing at her bacon. Neither Mrs. Longbottom nor Neville had shown up for breakfast. The girl couldn't help but feel guilty for the row that she heard last night. If she hadn't kissed Neville, then none of that would have happened.

She sighed and then pushed the plate away from her.

"Is Miss finished with breakfast?" Darcy asked from next to her. Harry nodded and then the plate vanished.

Neville then came into the room. He looked tired and he was covered in dirt.

"Neville, what on earth?" the girl asked, taking in the young man's appearance.

"I just had to blow off a little steam after fighting with Gran. I assume that you heard, judging by how cheerful you look."

Harry looked downwards and then nodded. She sat back down and Neville sat next to her. The young woman watched him eat, having nothing better to do in all truth.

"I'm sorry…" Harry said once her friend was finally finished.

"For what?" Neville asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For getting you into trouble."

"Not your fault. Remember, I kissed you first."

"On the cheek."

"Only natural that you would react like that. I was counting on it."

Harry rolled her eyes.

"Did Gran come down to eat?" Neville asked, trying not to sound hopeful but failing miserably.

Harry shook her head, "Nope."

"Ah. I guess I should go check on her. It isn't like her to miss a meal…" Neville said as he got up, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "I will be back in a few minutes."

The teen walked a couple of steps away, but then walked back. Harry looked at him quizzically for a moment before she realized that a kiss was being lightly placed on her forehead. The young man then walked away.

Harry blinked rapidly for a moment and then burst into laughter.

((The Pretender))

Neville knocked on the door to his grandmother's room. "Gran, you in there? It is time for breakfast!"

He waited for a response, but when he got none, he opened the door and poked his head in. "Gran?" he asked, scanning the room.

He saw his grandmother in her favourite chair, still wearing her dark green nightdress. The book she had been reading had fallen to the floor and her head was resting against the back of the chair.

"Gran, wake up." Neville said as he walked forward into the room, making his way to his grandmother.

He finally reached her and held out his hand. He placed it on her shoulder. She didn't move. He shook her slightly. She didn't move. Finally, he placed two fingers on her neck, checking for a pulse.

There was none.

Neville let out a scream.

((The Pretender))

As soon as Harry heard the scream she rushed out of the dining room and hurdled through out the halls, looking for the source. She finally found Neville in his grandmother's room, the young man huddled up at his grandmother's feet sobbing.

"Neville? Neville, what happened?" she asked softly, a great feeling of dread running through her veins. Why wasn't Mrs. Longbottom doing anything to calm her distressed grandson?

"She's dead! She's dead!" Neville said, his voice cracking, "Gran's dead!"

"Oh Merlin." Harry said, eyes going wide. She took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. "Darcy! Darcy, get in here right now, it's urgent!"

The Elf appeared and looked from Neville's sobbing form at Mrs. Longbottom's feet and then to Harry. The girl could feel the tears tracking down her own cheeks, but she sniffed and kept her voice firm, "Darcy, Mrs. Longbottom has passed away. Contact Remus Lupin and Severus Snape immediately."

Darcy looked back at his masters and then nodded gravely. "Darcy will do as Miss tells. Darcy suggests Miss gets Master out of the room. Take care of Master…" the Elf's voice then trailed off and with a small 'pop' he was gone.

Harry made her way to Neville and wrapped her arms around him the best she could.

"Neville, we need to get out of this room. I will make you some tea, okay? Remus and Severus are coming. We need you to get your wits back."

"No. I can't leave her. I can't." Neville muttered over and over again. He began to rock back and forth and his sobs became louder.

"Neville, please!" Harry begged, her voice trembling. If she didn't leave this room, she would be crying as well.

"No."

"Neville, please!" Harry cried.

Neville looked up slightly and saw the tears running down Harry's cheeks. He blinked and then wiped his eyes and nose on his sleeve. He pushed the girl off of him lightly and then got up. Neville took the girl's hand and led her out of the room.

((The Pretender))

It had been twenty minutes later when Remus and Severus entered the kitchen of Longbottom Manor to find two puffy-eyed teenagers sipping tea. Remus made her way to her pup and Neville, holding them close to her. She whispered words of comfort to Neville, trying to sooth the boy.

"I am sorry to ask, but we need to know. How did this happen?" Severus asked quietly from the corner of the room that he stood in.

"I don't know." Neville said, his voice slightly hoarse, "She was just dead when I went in. She was cold… really cold… when I went in there. I guess… she must have died not too long after our fight…"

"Fight?" Remus asked gently. "What did you fight about?"

"Harry. And how Gran has been trying to control my life and make me into a copy of Dad…" Neville responded somewhat bitterly. "Probably a heart attack. She wouldn't admit it, but her heart has been giving her trouble these past few years. The Medi-wizard said that any really bad strain could kill her."

Remus sucked in a breath. Could it be possible that the row was what killed her?

"I sincerely doubt that." Severus said, his voice slightly sneering in tone. "I doubt anything that _you_ say could ever get her _that_ worked up."

Remus shot her lover a look, "Severus! Don't. Just don't. Not now."

"I killed her. You should have seen her. She was so pissed off. I think she was ready to disinherit me." A dry chuckle escaped the boy's lips, "She saw Harry and I kissing. She said that I was stupid. That I could never be like my father and that I was dooming the family line. I told her that my life was mine and to leave me alone. Well, she's certainly done that. She's left me alone."

"Neville, don't do this to yourself…" Harry said softly, placing her hand onto Neville's.

Neville snatched his hand away and got up from the table. "If you excuse me, I will be in the greenhouse."

"Neville, wait!" Harry cried out, getting up to follow the boy. She then felt a strong grip on her shoulder and she looked back to find Remus holding her back.

"Don't Harry. Leave him alone for now. I am sure that he will work all of this out on his own."

* * *

Conditions Met: 

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.  
4. At least one person dies.


	14. Chapter 14

Two days had passed and the brown-haired teen had showed no sign of letting up on his guilt ridden behaviour. He merely stayed in the greenhouse, tending to the plants. The teen didn't bother coming to meals and from what the group could tell from their observations of him, Neville hardly slept either.

Harry and Remus both tried to speak with the distressed boy, but neither were successful in bringing him out of his shell. The boy may have listened to what they said, but never really took it in. Never really thought that what they said could in fact be right. Neville would just continue what he was doing, ignoring all around him, never speaking, only taking care of his plants.

It was lunchtime, and the women sat in the living room, hardly touching their food while they observed their grieving friend through the window. Remus sat stiffly on a plush chair while Harry occupied the sofa. Severus had taken to the task of overseeing Mrs. Longbottom's Will, as Neville was not of age nor currently mentally capable of taking in the enormity of it all.

"He won't talk to me, Remus. He just won't." Harry said sadly as she watched Neville putter around in his greenhouse.

"He is still in mourning… His grandmother was the only person that he had left… I think that you know how that feels, Harry." Remus responded.

"I know. But… but I did end up talking about it in the end. With Neville and Luna. But Neville… he is just shutting everyone out."

"There are only three people here, Harry. Only you and myself have tried to get to the boy. Severus hasn't said anything to him."

Harry cast a wary glance towards the Potions professor that occupied the dining room, still pouring over various documents that he had been given by Darcy.

"Do you think that Severus would be willing to talk to him? Perhaps a less sympathetic ear would help him. Perhaps…"

"I will talk to him about it." Remus said. She leaned back in her chair, letting out a deep sigh. "For now, we need to figure out what to do with the two of you."

"You make us sound like cattle, you know." The ebony-haired girl stated.

Remus shot Harry an unamused look and then sighed once more, "You will have to go to Headquarters. I can't think of anything else at the moment. We will have to consult Dumbledore on this as well."

"Hmm." Was Harry's only response.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Neville came back into the house, shutting the door quietly behind him. He made his way to the living room and gazed upon the occupants of the room. Though he noted that they were there, he did not acknowledge their presence. He simply curled up on the other end of the couch, hugging a pillow tightly to his chest as he closed his eyes and prepared for a nap.

The girl cast a glance over at Neville, her expression worried yet annoyed at the same time. She could no longer stand the cold shouldering. It wounded her deeply. Especially after she thought that she and Neville were going a step farther in their relationship. They were now back to where they were in their first year. Existing in the same place and knowing only the basics of the other.

The young woman got up from her seat and left the room, her footsteps hurried and unsteady.

Remus let out a great sigh and then pushed herself out of the chair.

"Neville, Severus and I will be taking you and Harry to the Order's Headquarters today. You should go and pack up."

The brown-haired young man whipped his head in the direction of the tall tan-haired woman. He took in her presence for a moment and then nodded.

"Two angsty teenagers. Definitely not something that I wanted to have to deal with during summer vacation." Came Severus' voice.

The woman looked up and her honey eyes locked with the obsidian one's of her lover.

"It isn't really my ideal vacation either, but there is nothing that we can do about it. There is no way to change what has already happened."

Severus walked over to Remus and took her into an embrace. He stroked her hair soothingly and placed a small kiss on her neck.

"I want you to talk to him." Remus whispered.

"I figured that." Severus replied just as softly. He placed a soft kiss on Remus' lips and then broke from their embrace. "I will go see if they are ready."

((The Pretender))

After Neville had been given a slip of paper instructing him what to do so that he could see the Order of the Phoenix's Headquarters, the group entered the house, figuring that they would be stepping into a place of relaxation and silence.

How wrong they were.

"Do you have any brains at all, Ronald! You are still as daft as the day I met you! I told you time and time again that-"

"Hermione, please stop yelling, you are giving me a headache…"

"Filthy Mudbloods! Defiling my house!"

"Shut up you crazy bat! Nobody gives a shit about what you think!"

"Minerva! I would have thought that you would have better sense than to say something like that!"

Harry ogled at the sight before her. Hermione was yelling at Ron quite loudly, with a redheaded boy that looked about Ginny's age sitting quietly on the sidelines. McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley were also having a shouting match. All of this commotion had of course awakened Mrs. Black's portrait, who was cursing rather colorfully at the moment.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here!" Remus shouted above the din.

Everyone stopped, including the portrait, at the tone of the woman's voice. She sounded homicidal, her voice low and booming.

McGonagall stepped forward. "Ah, I see that you have brought Neville and Harry. Good job, Remus, Severus."

"Thank you, but I don't really care about that. Why on earth are you all screaming at each other?" Remus said. She placed her thumb and index finger on the bridge of her nose, gripping it slightly. She could feel the headache already sinking in. "And Molly, I thought that you, Arthur and the kids were visiting Charlie in Romania."

"We were, Remus, but we had to come back." The redheaded woman said.

"And why is this?" Severus added incredulously.

"Because of me."

The group turned to look at the redheaded boy that had been silent when Harry, Neville, Severus and Remus walked into the room.

"Who-" the tan-haired woman began.

"Ginny. It's Ginny." Hermione stepped in, crossing her arms across her chest and biting her bottom lip slightly. "She… He just woke up like this one morning. Just like Remus and Harry."

The ebony-haired girl could feel her jaw dropping slightly as she took in Ginny's new form. The boy had shoulder-blade length red hair, tied back elegantly with a brown hair tie. His face was a lot like Ron's, only softer and with more freckles around the nose. His blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, a characteristic that none of the Weasley clan held save for the only girl. Ginny had gained a few inches in his change. His frame was thin and lanky, taking directly from his father.

"Ginny?" Harry asked, her voice awed.

The boy nodded and then looked down.

"Say something."

The boy shook his head.

"Please?"

Another shake.

"Ginny, you are being childish. Humor the girl and say something." Hermione said, rolling her eyes fondly at the boy.

"Hiya, Harry."

Ginny's new voice was that of a sweet baritone. Smooth and clear, reminding Harry of a singer's voice.

"This is turning into an epidemic…" Remus muttered, collapsing onto the couch and taking in a deep breath. "I assume that you came to ask Dumbledore what he thought of this recent event?"

"Yes." Molly answered, "He said that I should just leave Ginny here. That it would be best to have all of those effected to stay at Grimmauld Place until things can either be sorted out or until school is back in session."

Severus snorted, "Then all of you will most likely be living here for the rest of your lives. That old fool has no idea what is going on, he just won't admit it."

Molly threw the Potions Professor a dirty look and then turned to Neville, her expression softening.

"I heard about your grandmother, Neville dear. I am so sorry."

Neville stared at the woman for a moment and then went back to staring at his bags. He stared longingly towards the stairs, clearly wanting to be out and away from all of the commotion.

Hermione surveyed Neville for a few moments and then figured out what he wanted. "There is a place for you upstairs. I will show you, Neville." She said, walking swiftly over to the boy and picking up one of his bags, shouldering it, and making her way briskly up the stairs. Neville followed obediently.

"Why is Granger here?" Severus asked.

"When she heard the news of Ginny's change, she demanded to be here to give moral support." Molly explained. "And Ron came with me because he wanted to see Hermione. I think that I will take him back to Romania though, there is too much friction between those two…"

The entire room nodded.

Minerva cleared her throat, "I will be staying here, so Molly, Severus, Remus, you can go if you want. I will have everything under control."

Remus shook her head, "I think that I should stay. Neville is having a lot of troubles with coping with the loss of his grandmother. I want to make sure that he will be all right."

"What Remmy means to say is that she wants to make sure that I talk to the child like I said I would." Severus added.

* * *

Conditions Met:

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.  
4. At least one person dies.


	15. Chapter 15

Authour's Note: I am very sorry for the long wait. I have been in the middle of the process of packing up everything and getting ready to move to college, and haven't been able to find time to update recently. Sorry again, and hopefully I should have the next chapter posted, by the latest, the twenty-third.

((The Pretender))

Severus sat alone in the dining room of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. He was trying to figure out how exactly to go about speaking with Longbottom. Especially since whenever the boy was in the same room as him he seemed about to wet his pants.

There was also the fact that he had no real way to talk to the boy in the first place. The obsidian-eyed man did not do well with sympathy and he didn't like to share his experiences, something that he would most undoubtedly have to do if he wanted to really snap Longbottom out of his stupor.

The door opened suddenly and Severus looked up. Neville had just entered the room, his expression that of vague surprise (if there was one such expression).

"I am guessing that Remmy sent you in here?"

The boy nodded.

"Sit down. The two of us need to talk."

Neville's eyes widened slightly, but he did as he was told. There was something about the professor's voice that always left no room for discussion. Something that said that if you didn't do as you were told that you would be skinned alive and hung by your extremities. It was something that Neville took to heart, and was thus the base of why he feared the man.

Severus surveyed the boy for a few moments and then let out a heavy sigh. "Look, Longbottom, I am not going to kill you. And you are not in school, so I cannot deduct any House points if you somehow irk me. Just listen to what I say. Once I am done, then you can decide whether or not you want to scream and head for the hills."

Neville blinked slowly and then nodded. He didn't really expect this from Snape. But of course, Lupin had probably forced her lover into doing this. Of course he'd be somewhat edgy.

"All right…. I know… I know that you are going through a hard time right now. At the moment, all you want to do is shut out the world and not deal with it. You want nothing to have changed. But that is not going to happen. It is impossible. It is impossible to change things that have already been."

Severus paused, thinking of what he would say next very carefully.

"When I was seventeen, my mother passed away. She had been ill for some time and there was nothing that anyone could do. But I had taken it as my duty a long time ago to make sure that she was safe. I thought that it was my fault. I thought that if only I was strong enough. If only I was there for her every time she asked me to come home from school. If only I had written her everyday. If only I had done at least _something_ different, maybe she would have lived.

"I carried that guilt with me for a long time. I refused to let go. I began to blame my father for her death as well. My relationship with him was shattered, as I accused him of being weak. I told him that if only he was stronger, that she would be alive. But of course, that didn't help anything. It only made it worse. It was one less person that I could talk her death out with. One less person that would understand what I was going through. Hell, he was the only person…

"I can't really remember what it was that got me through it in the end. But I remember looking back through all of those years and thinking, 'I wasted all of that time just blaming people for something that I had no control over. What compelled me to do that? What would Mother say?'. It was that ironic moment that I realized, though I should always remember her, that I should have gone on with my life. By just sulking all of those years, I had simply desecrated her memory. I didn't want to do that anymore and I just… let it go."

The dark-haired man stared into a corner for a few moments, ignoring the bluriness that was slowly making it impossible to tell whether it was a houseplant or a Slytherin that stood in the corner. He cleared his throat and then cast his gaze upon Neville.

"That was all I have to say."

Neville nodded his head slowly.

Severus got up and made his way to the door. He was about to turn the knob when a thought came to him.

"I suggest that you patch things up with Miss Potter. She has been very worried about you and you have been pushing her away. It isn't good for either of you."

And with that, he left, leaving Neville alone in the kitchen, mulling over his thoughts.

((The Pretender))

A tentative knock at the door startled Harry out of her daydream and back to the real world.

"Come in." she called, rubbing at her eyes and sitting up on her bed.

Ginny, or Gin as he preferred to be called, slinked into the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He sat down on the bed next to Harry and looked at the girl expectantly.

Harry blinked. Well, this was odd, the girl thought. What on earth could the boy be waiting for?

"Is there something that I can help you with?" the ebony-haired girl asked, shifting uncomfortably.

Gin nodded his head, red hair falling into his face lightly. "Harry, when you turned into a girl, you acted really weird around me. I just want to know why."

"Oh…" Harry said softly. She shifted her gaze to the floor as she felt her cheeks redden.

"Do you not like me?"

"What?" Harry asked, her head snapping back up. At the hurt look on Gin's face, she quickly moved off of her bed and onto Gin's, taking his chin in hers and making the boy look straight at her, "No! I could never not like you."

"Then why?" Gin asked, his eyes pleading.

The ebony-haired girl was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say next. With a deep sigh, she plunged ahead, "Before I changed, I was in the middle of writing a letter to you. A… uh… well, I guess it could be only what could be described as a love letter. I didn't know how to tell you face to face about my feelings, so I figured if I wrote them down…" Harry realized that she was babbling and stopped herself, "Pretty much, I was just pissed because I lost my chance to tell you how I felt. I mean, I really doubted that you would want to be with me. I was a girl, for Merlin's sake! You know how confusing that would be?"

"That's why you avoided me?" Gin asked slowly.

"Yeah."

Gin picked up a pillow and hit his friend in the face with it. "You are such an idiot, Harry!" he exclaimed with a wide grin plastered upon his face.

"What, you still like me…? Even though…"

"Even though you were and are a girl. Yeah. You are such an idiot sometimes."

"Well excuse me."

"What about Neville?"

Harry stopped dead, the smile wiped from her face. She swallowed hard, "What about him?"

"How do you feel about him?"

Harry bit her lip. How _did_ she feel about Neville? Everything had been so hectic lately that it seemed that all of her relationships were either escalating really fast or slowing down quickly. Her friendship with Neville was definitely one of the escalating ones. One day they had been just friends, the next they were sleeping in the same bed and then kissing. It felt like something more than friendship, but not quite like love. Harry had no idea what it was, and it confused her greatly.

And now, the ebony-haired girl turned towards Gin. Before the incident, Harry was all but eager to confess her love to him. But now… Now it was just too confusing. She didn't feel that lump in her throat when she looked at him anymore. She didn't get all sweaty and nervous. She didn't feel that twinge of want. There was only the knowledge of a strong bond of friendship. And in a way, it disappointed her…

"Harry? Harry, you in there?" Gin asked, his voice breaking through Harry's clattered thoughts.

"Hm?" Harry responded, focusing her eyes once again on the boy.

"You really don't know, do you?" the sapphire-eyed boy asked, his smile slightly sad.

And the girl couldn't protest, for it was the complete and utter truth.

But then, she felt a weight upon her right arm. She looked down and saw a hand gripping her gently. Emerald eyes darting upward, she was caught by the intent gaze of Gin. The boy was leaning in closer and closer. Harry's heart beat against her rib cage, and she was sure that the boy could hear it.

"What are you-?" Harry began to ask, but her question was cut off by a pair of soft, pale lips placing themselves upon hers.

Then there was the opening of the door, and Harry could see the brown-headed figure of Neville out of the corner of her eye. She broke the kiss and stared wide-eyed at Neville, who had gone pale as soon as he had seen the two.

The young man muttered something akin to 'Never mind' under his breath and then ran out of the room.

((The Pretender))

Conditions Met:

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.  
4. At least one person dies.


	16. Chapter 16

Harry watched in horror as Neville sped from the room.

"Damn it!" she cursed. Her eyes skittered between Gin and the door, silently pleading the boy for permission to seek out the other.

Gin let out a sigh. "Go ahead. It is obvious that you care about him. I hope you patch things up."

Harry bolted from the bed with a muttered 'thanks'.

"Well, that pretty much bombed…" the redhead said to himself, leaning back onto the bed and surveying the ceiling.

"I wouldn't say that." A voice said from the corner of the room.

Gin bolted upright. "Who's there?" she asked.

Hermione walked out of the shadows and the boy let out a sigh of relief. An indignant look then spread upon his face, "You were there the whole time? Watching?"

"Yep." The girl said devilishly. She plopped herself down next to Gin and leaned against him lightly. "Perhaps this is a good thing."

"And why do you say that it may be a good thing that Harry likes Neville and not me?"

Hermione was silent for a moment.

"Hermione?" Gin asked, his eyebrow arching upwards into his bangs.

"Well… You… you get the message when it is obvious that someone doesn't want to be with you. You don't want to be with someone who is half-assing it, right? So now… now you know that Harry is no longer an option for you. You can move on." The brown-haired young woman answered. "And also, since you understand, Harry won't have to worry about you going all jealous, disturbing ex-crush on her at some point."

"Mmhmm." Gin said, knowing for a fact that that was not the real answer to the question. But he decided to let it go for today. He would ask later.

((The Pretender))

Harry ran up the stairs to Neville's room. The door was open and she saw Neville sitting on his bed, looking down at the ground. The young woman closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

"Neville." Harry said quietly.

The brown-haired young man looked up, looking the girl over. She looked calm, but he could tell that she wasn't by the way that she was chewing at her lip continuously.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you and Ginny." Neville said.

"You didn't interrupt anything, Neville. Gin was…" the ebony-haired girl let out a sigh, "Gin was trying to figure out if I loved him. I don't. I will be honest with you Neville, I used to be head over heels for him, but… But not anymore."

"And that was why he was kissing you." Neville stated, his voice incredulous and his left eyebrow raising.

"Yeah… I don't really understand it either." Harry stated as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Girls are weird…"

Neville let out a laugh, "He isn't a girl anymore, you know. And you just called yourself weird."

"Well, aren't I? I mean, I survived the Killing Curse at the age of one, I am a parselmouth, I've got a Dark Lord after my life and I used to be a boy. Doesn't that kinda define 'weird'?"

"You do have a point there." Neville said. He thought for a moment and then continued speaking, "Professor Snape talked to me."

"Oh?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He told me that if I kept being mad at myself about Gran's death, that I would be pretty much missing out on life. And Gran wouldn't be too happy about that. And he made me realize that I was pushing everyone away. Especially you, Harry, and I'm sorry for that. Your friendship is the most important thing to me. To lose you… I just… I know that I would fall apart."

Harry nodded, "I know what you mean. When you weren't talking to me I was really disappointed. I thought that you would let me in. Like I let you in when Sirius died. But you shut me out and it felt like a part of myself was gone."

"I'm sorry." Neville said, looking up into Harry's eyes, keeping her gaze.

"You're forgiven." Harry said, grinning broadly as she made her way across the room and plopped herself onto Neville's lap. She hugged him close, breathing in the scent of soil and water.

Neville wrapped an arm around the young woman, returning the hug, and with the other he carded his fingers through her long hair.

((The Pretender))

Conditions Met:

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.  
4. At least one person dies.


	17. Chapter 17

"How about we all go out to Muggle London today?" Severus asked during breakfast. He heard a clatter of a fork falling to a plate and a smirk made it's way to his lips.

"That would be fantastic!" Harry said at once, nodding her head enthusiastically, "This place is driving me insane."

"But Professor, wouldn't it be dangerous? We still don't know who did this to Remus, Harry, and Gin." Hermione said, biting her lip.

"There comes a time, Miss Granger," Severus said, beginning to become extremely fed up with her worry, "that the rules must be broken. For the sake of sanity."

Remus nodded, "Yes, I agree with Severus. We have all been too sullen. Going to London should help us forget the situation for the time being and just have time to be ourselves. And for security's sake, we will make sure to stay together at all times, all right?"

The teens nodded.

((The Pretender))

Gin and Neville looked around the streets of London in awe.

"This is even bigger than Diagon Alley…" Gin said, wide-eyed.

"Well, it helps that it doesn't have to be hidden." Hermione replied, smiling and holding onto her friend's hand lightly, pulling him along the street.

"Where should we go first?" Remus asked, looking around. "Hermione, Harry, I think that you two would be most familiar with the area?"

Harry shook her head, "No. Aunt Petunia never brought me down here. I guess she thought that I would attract too much attention or something." She then tapped her forehead, indicating the scar that was hidden beneath her bangs.

Remus nodded and then turned to Hermione. A grin spread across the young woman's face as she made her way to the front of the group. "All right, you lot, follow me."

((The Pretender))

After five hours of going through book and clothing stores, which ended up in multiple purchases being made, the group of six were finally ready to call it a day.

"There is a really nice place to eat just a few stores down." Hermione said, pointing it out to Remus, "It is two o'clock, so there shouldn't be that many people in there."

The group then agreed and made their way to the restaurant.

Once seated, Harry began to look all around her. As Hermione had said, there weren't many people there and it was rather quiet. There was a family of four in the corner, a couple about four tables down from them and a man by himself at the counter.

Harry focused on the man. There was something about him that seemed familiar. That black hair and the thin build. It drove her nuts that she couldn't figure it out as her brain was screaming at her that it was something important, but her thoughts were cut off as the waiter asked what her order would be.

"Uh, I would like to have the chicken tenders meal with fries and broccoli and honey mustard dipping sauce, please. Oh, and a diet cola to drink."

The waiter nodded and then went off to fill the order.

The ebony-haired girl then bit her lip slightly and cast another glance towards the man at the counter. She then glanced towards Severus, who was sitting opposite her. She nudged his foot with hers lightly. The obsidian-eyed man looked up, an eyebrow quirking upward. Harry tilted her head towards the man at the counter. Severus glanced at him and then looked back at the girl with an expression that said, 'What about him? He doesn't look like anything special.' He went back to reading his paper. Harry let out an annoyed sigh and then nudged at his leg harder. No response. She nudged again. Still no response. She nudged harder still.

"Would you please stop acting like a five year old!" Severus hissed, "If you want my attention, you can simply say my name. Why can't you ever do things normally?"

Harry pursed her lips and then gave in. "Severus, may I please speak with you?" she said politely.

Severus tilted his head to his side as though he were considering it and then folded his newspaper. "Yes, Harry, you may."

'Snarky git.' Harry thought, seeing the sneer that was placed firmly on the man's face, "Did you notice the man over at the counter?"

"I do have eyes, you know."

"Fine, good for you. Doesn't he look familiar to you?"

Severus looked back at the man once more, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. Now that the girl mentioned it, he did look a little familiar. It was the way that the man carried himself.

"Vaguely."

"And familiar in not a good way?"

The obsidian-eyed man blinked. "He just seems familiar, that is all."

"Oh." Harry said, taking one more glance at the man before the waiter came by with their food.

They were halfway through their meal when someone cleared their throat.

The entire table looked up. It was the man from the counter.

"Hello. I just wanted to say that you have a beautiful family." The man said to Severus and Remus. He then turned to Harry, "Especially your daughter. She takes so much after you, sir."

Harry's eyes went wide. Not only by the statement but also by how the man was looking at her. It was a look of both want and hatred. He stared at her quite intently and she felt lost in those deep chocolate eyes, almost as if she were being swallowed up and drowned. She could feel herself begin to panic and her hand went straight for Neville's under the table, squeezing it urgently.

Neville looked at the man and saw his gaze as well. A shiver ran down his spine and then he cleared his throat, "Ah, thank you for complementing my uh, sister, sir."

The man nodded and then turned to Gin and then Remus. "Very handsome boy as well. Clearly takes after you ma'am."

Remus blinked and then nodded slightly. "Thank you sir, but-"

Severus cut her off with a wave of his hand, "Raye, dear, you have never been able to take a compliment. Thank you sir, for the kind words, but we are in the middle of a meal."

"Of course. I am sorry to disrupt you." The man nodded slightly and then walked out the door.

"Tom…" Gin said, his voice wavering slightly and his eyes wide.

"What?" Hermione asked from next to her, "Tom?"

"That was Tom Riddle." Gin continued.

((The Pretender))

A/N: Okay, right now, I am going to ask for the reviewers help. I am stuck between two possible directions that this story can go. So, I am going to ask that you reviewers vote on which one would be more appealing to you.

The first scenario is that the group goes to school and goes through the motions of another year of Hogwarts with nothing really notable happening until Christmas.

The second scenario is for the action to heat up pretty much as soon as Harry and the group get back to Grimmauld place.

You can leave your vote in either your review or send me a message.

Thank you very much. : )

Touchstone's Ranna

((The Pretender))

Conditions Met:

1. More than one character must have their gender switched.  
2. They are switched involuntarily.  
3. Snape gets somebody to love.  
4. At least one person dies.


	18. Chapter 18

"Are you sure?!" Hermione asked. She then looked to Harry, who was nodding her head slowly.

"That explains it. I knew he looked familiar. That hair, that build… the intensity of his eyes. It all fits." The ebony-haired girl replied.

"But that doesn't make any sense…" Hermione muttered. "The diary was destroyed so unless-" She stopped suddenly, her brown eyes wide, "We should get out of here. We need to get out of here. That was him. You-Know-Who himself!"

The group went deathly quiet. Could it really have been Lord Voldemort that had just visited their table? He had paid attention mainly to Harry, staring her down with a look of hatred that the girl knew only from him. And the man had also been paying attention to Gin and Remus. Just what was going on?

"Is something the matter?" The waiter came over to the table, a concerned look on his face.

"We would like to pay for the meal right now. Please bring some boxes for the rest of the food. As quickly as possible, please. Family emergency." Severus said as he got up, letting Remus out from where she sat.

The group filed out of the booth and soon picked up their packages and food. They quickly made their way home and then locked the door, just for good measure.

"Severus, did you know anything of Voldemort getting his younger body back?" Remus asked.

The man shook his head, "He did not say anything to me about it. Of course, he believes that my loyalty is faltering and thus does not entrust such great secrets to me anymore. He must have found some sort of spell… Something…"

"My scar didn't even hurt, either. He could be right next to me and I wouldn't know it until he had his wand out and casting the Killing Curse…" Harry whispered, sitting down on the couch heavily.

Neville sat down next to her, rubbing her back soothingly, "We will figure something out, Harry. Don't worry."

"I don't like this." Gin said, his voice on the bridge of terrified. "I really don't like this. He can pop up whenever he wants. No one knows that it is him. No one except those who knew Tom Riddle, and knew that Tom Riddle was then You-Know-Who."

"I am going to go see Dumbledore and tell him of these recent events. You five, stay alert. I don't like this any better than you and I…" he faltered, not really wanting to express his opinion that Voldemort had more than likely followed them to Grimmauld Place. "I will see you all later." He improvised. He then strode out of the kitchen into the backyard and Disapparated.

((The Pretender))

Voldemort entered his private chambers, waving a hand over his clothes, changing them from Muggle to Wizard. His robes billowed behind him as he swiftly made his way to the bookshelf on the opposite side of the large room. He scanned the titles and then took down one particularly large text, placing it upon a book stand and opening it. The book then flipped itself to the page that he needed and his eyes scanned the paper, taking in the contents over and over again. A smile curled his lips.

((The Pretender))

Severus stood in Dumbledore's office, waiting for the man to come to a conclusion about what he had just told him.

The man's fingers were steepled and his blue eyes were dark and calculating.

"We must move them. They shall stay at Hogwarts. There are only two more weeks to their holidays anyway. Have you spoken to Remus about taking the Defense Against the Dark Arts position once again? I think that it would be necessary for her safety to be here and I cannot justify a strange woman staying here just because she happens to be my Potions Master's lover."

"I haven't spoken to her yet. Though, I have a feeling that she will insist upon being known under a different name." Severus replied.

"If this were not such a serious conversation, I would suggest that we give her your name and say that she is your wife. The students would have a near heart attack."

"Yes, well…" the obsidian-eyed man swallowed. That was the thing that had always unnerved him about the old man; he always seemed to know what was going on in his mind without using even a hint of Legilamency.

"They shall be moved here. I think that I will also have a few House-elves following them around, just to be safe.

"You say that he looks as he did when he was of about twenty five years of age?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus nodded, knowing that he meant the Dark Lord. "Even his eyes. There was no trace of red to them whatsoever. I do not know of any potion that could have done that. And as I said before, I had not been informed that he had gone under such a transformation. He most likely wears a glamour at meetings."

Dumbledore nodded and then looked out the window.

Severus took this as a dismissal and left.

* * *

I'm sorry that it took so long for me to put this chapter up. I have been very busy with college and have unfortunately been unable to really concentrate on writing fanfiction.

I doubt that I am going to continue with this story, for I have lost interest and am not sure where else this story can go.


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